Connie was not factory built. She’d been custom built by Buck, who had carefully crafted her programming and appearance. Her thought processes, instincts and feminine looks were as human as Buck could make them.

Around a loving smile, Connie replied, “I was just thinking about us. I mean where is our relationship headed? Am I just a live-in sex toy or what?”

Buck grimly grinned. “Forever means different things for us. With proper maintenance you’ll probably exist for centuries. Myself? Currently, late 21st Century North American males have a projected lifespan of about 120 years.”

Connie asked, “I’ve also been wondering, have you told anyone other than Jerry that I’m an android?”

“Of course not,” replied Buck. “And no one else can tell. I’ve made many improvements over factory-built androids. You’ve got a built-in heat pump that feeds tubing under your artificial skin, makes you warm to the touch. And I’ve given you simulated breathing to feed your heat pump. The heat pump pulse gives you a heartbeat. Your pupils dilate. You have a sense of touch over your entire body. Much more. You couldn’t be more perfect.”

The couple arrived at Jerry and Gail’s home. Jerry came out to greet them, ushered them into the house.

It was a warm May day. Gail, who had no idea Connie wasn’t human, did know Jerry liked to talk shop with Buck in private. Gail took Connie out to the deck on the north side of the house. Jerry and Buck went to the deck on the east side of the house where they sat in a couple of wicker chairs, looked out over the garden.

“What’s new?” asked Jerry.

“I’ve been doing lotsa thinking about dark matter,” came the reply.

After a derisive snort, Jerry said, “Why am I not surprised?”

Their chairs were side-by-side. Buck rose, shifted his chair around so that he and Jerry were facing one another.

As he sat, Buck announced, “The key here is my theory concerning the compression of space due to my related theory of gravitation, which is a function of the expansion of objects of great mass such as planets, stars and such.”

Jerry nodded his understanding, was familiar with Buck’s gravity theory.

Buck sat back in his chair, his elbows on the armrests, his fingers intertwined, hands gripping one another as he gazed upwards. Smugly he said, “And since energy equals matter times the speed of light squared, it’s obvious that dark energy is derived from dark matter. Albert Einstein –- that guy was a genius.”

“Yep,” replied Jerry.

Jerry laughed, added, “I must say, Einstein’s choices in female companions were a bit unusual. If I remember correctly, didn’t he marry a cousin?”

This time it was Buck’s turn to snort as he thought of his future with Connie.